Ontario Medical Association publishes formal protocol for upcoming General Meeting of Members in precedent-setting step to ensure fairness and transparency

TORONTO, Aug. 8, 2016 /CNW/ - Ontario's doctors will vote on a tentative Physician Services Agreement (PSA) at a General Meeting of Members this Sunday, August 14, starting at 12:00 p.m. at the Allstream Centre in Toronto.

In advance of the meeting, the OMA is today formally announcing a series of best-in-class measures to ensure the meeting takes place in a fair and transparent way in the best interests of all members.

"Taken together, these measures provide a best-in-class approach to conducting this week's meeting," said Dr. Virginia Walley, President of the OMA. "They are designed to ensure that all OMA members have complete confidence in the integrity of the meeting and, most importantly, the results."

The meeting protocol includes the following:

• To ensure the fairness and confidentiality of the voting process, Computershare, one of Canada's leaders in meeting services, is applying confidential voting restrictions with respect to all proxies deposited, which prevents access to the voting instructions of any particular member who has deposited a proxy. Interim proxy tallies will be kept confidential and not publicly released to ensure the integrity of the voting process.
  
  
• To ensure that all members who wish to attend are able to do so, all members in good standing or duly appointed proxyholders are welcome to attend the meeting. Attendees will be able to register as of 9:00 a.m. and the meeting will commence at 12:00 p.m. For members who cannot attend, the OMA will webcast the meeting on the Internet.
  
  
• To ensure that the meeting is conducted fairly and impartially, Dr. Alan Hudak, Chair of the Council, will chair the meeting. Dr. Hudak will be advised by legal counsel to the chair, Hartley Nathan, Q.C., one of Canada's preeminent corporate governance lawyers and the author of Nathan's Company Meetings. The chair will maintain independence from management of the OMA. The chair will make all decisions concerning the meeting, including the application of the meeting protocol, after consultation with his counsel. The formal agenda for the meeting will be publicly disclosed in advance of the meeting.
  
  
• To ensure accurate voting results, voting on all three items of business at the meeting will be conducted by ballot, which will be distributed to members and proxyholders at the time of registration. A sample form of the ballot will be publicly disclosed in advance of the meeting.
  
  
• To ensure the integrity of the tabulation process, Computershare will serve as the scrutineer at the meeting and tabulate the voting results. Computershare will be tabulating the results of the vote promptly following the meeting. The chair will make all determinations as to the validity of any ballot or the tabulation thereof in consultation with his counsel. Once tabulation is complete and the results have been certified, the voting results will be promptly disclosed to members and the public.
  
  
• To ensure an accurate record of the meeting, a transcript of the meeting will be produced and certified by a third-party court reporter service. Computershare will retain all proxies and ballots following the meeting so that, after the vote is certified and announced, any member or the OMA may review proxies and ballots during business hours upon reasonable prior notice.

In the interest of full transparency, the OMA is making the formal protocol publicly available in its entirety here.

SOURCE Ontario Medical Association

Nadia Daniell-Colarossi, Manager Media Relations Office: 416-340-2970 or 1-800-268-7215 ext. 2970, Mobile: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Danielle Milley, Senior Advisor Media Relations Office: 416-599-2580 or 1-800-268-7215 ext. 3008, Mobile: [phone], Email: [email protected]